Dear Supporter,

A federal judge strikes a blow for a cleaner and quieter Yellowstone in winter, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service goes back to the drawing board on wolves, a historic ground-breaking is set to place along the Henry's Fork, and a world-class fly-fishing film debuts in Bozeman with proceeds benefiting GYC, and a judge rules in favor of wildlife, wild lands on the Gallatin National Forest.

Wildlife

The saga of the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies has come full circle after seven tumultuous months. After announcing in February that it was removing the wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has begun the process of having the species relisted in the wake of federal District Judge Donald Molloy's July injunction. Read on to find out what this means for wolves - and GYC's efforts to protect them.
[Wolves]

Waters

After several long years of negotiation and coalition building, a historic settlement was recently reached on a proposed hydropower facility on the lower Henry's Fork of the Snake River in southeast Idaho. The agreement took a potentially damaging project and turned it into something good for both trout and local energy needs. [Fish Ladder]

Lands

Smoky Canyon is already a Superfund site.

The efforts of GYC and its coalition partners to protect Yellowstone National Park's winter quiet, clean air, and winter-stressed wildlife took a promising turn in September. A Washington, D.C., judge vacated the National Park Service's plan to allow 540 snowmobiles into Yellowstone every day, ruling that the service was violating the Organic Act and ignoring its own science. The story doesn't end there, however. [Winter Use]

As we expected, the U.S. Forest Service ignored our request to listen to its own scientists and halt expansion of Simplot's Smoky Canyon phosphate mine - a federal Superfund site - into southeast Idaho roadless country. And so GYC and three coalition partners were forced to file suit in federal court to prevent the continued selenium poisoning of pristine cutthroat trout streams and wildlife. [Mine Expansion]

Wildlife and wild lands scored another victory on Oct. 1 when a magistrate judge rejected a bid for increased motorized use on the Gallatin National Forest when magistrate judge Jeremiah Lynch upheld the forest’s Travel Management Plan. At the same time, Lynch recommended that the U.S. Forest Service be found in violation of the Montana Wilderness Study Act for allowing increased motorized and mechanized use in a Wilderness Study Area along the Gallatin Crest. "The Gallatin Crest is the bridge that brings the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Yellowstone right down to our Bozeman backdoor,” said Bob Ekey, regional director of The Wilderness Society. “It is a big part of why we all choose to live here, and it deserves to be managed in a way that assures we will never lose the Gallatin’s wild character.” [Gallatin]

Community & Events

In case you missed it, we have chosen the stunning Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park for our 2009 Annual Meeting … and it’s time again to sign up for our two exclusive winter wolf-watching trips in Yellowstone National Park. [Events]

WILDLIFE

Back On The List: When a federal judge ordered Endangered Species Act protection for Northern Rockies gray wolves in July after nearly four months of state management, the assumption was that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would appeal. Instead, after hearing Judge Donald Molloy's criticisms of the service for allowing delisting as well as his issues with state plans, especially Wyoming's, the federal agency has decided to withdraw its motion to delist.

"We are going to take a look at everything again and address the concerns expressed to us by the judge and everyone else," Sharon Rose of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Mountain Prairie Office told the New York Times. The judge expressed concerns that Montana, Idaho and Wyoming hunting seasons would threaten connectivity between wolves in central Idaho and northern Montana. Molloy also criticized Wyoming's so-called "Predator Zone", where wolves can be shot on sight. [Wolves]

WATERS

Symbiotic relationship on the Henry's Fork: When a local hydropower company named Symbiotics proposed retrofitting an existing diversion dam on the world-renowned Henry's Fork in Idaho in 2001, conservationists and fishermen were skeptical. In fact, the original proposal to place two large power-generating turbines into the river drew outright opposition.

From the outset, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Henry's Fork Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service began meeting to analyze how this project would impact the fishery and the river corridor. As a group it was determined the project would have to be redesigned and provide substantial impact mitigation in order to fly.

GYC still needs to raise additional funds to meet our commitment to funding the fish ladder.  Please visit http://www.greateryellowstone.org/chesterhydro to contribute to this historic effort to benefit the Henry’s Fork. Learn more and see the animation.

LANDS

Peace and Quiet for Yellowstone:
On Sept. 15, a federal court ruled in favor of wildlife, quiet and clean air in winter by striking down the Bush administration's authorization of snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park. The court said the National Park Service was violating its fundamental legal responsibility to give conservation of park resources top priority. The court found that the administration ignored the Park Service's own science that found that allowing 540 snowmobiles per day would result in significant increases in disruptive noise, unhealthy exhaust and harm to Yellowstone's animals. To ensure visitor experiences remain safe and enjoyable, and the local economy strong, GYC favors allowing approximately 260 snowmobiles per day - the average for the past five years - during the upcoming winter season. After that, the Park Service should work with local gateway communities and the public to begin phasing down the number of snowmobiles while promoting expanded visitor access on snowcoaches. The Park Service is developing a plan for this winter and will be seeking public comment in early November. Stay tuned.

Superfund Plus: Apparently southeast Idaho’s wild-cutthroat streams don’t have enough selenium poisoning already — at least in the eyes of the Bush administration. In June, the federal government authorized expansion of the controversial Smoky Canyon phosphate mine into roadless areas despite documentation of the project’s selenium problems as well as Simplot’s refusal to clean up the federal Superfund site. To get to the phosphate, Simplot must dig up and unleash mountains of rocks laced with selenium, a poison that has killed untold numbers of fish, wildlife and cattle, and could also threaten human health. Though Simplot insists it can contain the selenium, even Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management scientists are skeptical of their findings and proposed practices. [Caribou Clean Water]

Ask for an inch, get a mile: Sometimes we win — and sometimes we even get more than we asked for. When GYC and its conservation partners challenged the Gallatin National Forest Travel Management Plan, our focus was on the 155,000 acre Hyalite-Porcupine-Big Horn Wilderness Study Area, which stretches from Yellowstone National Park to Hyalite Peak just south of Bozeman. On that issue, Judge Lynch ruled that the Forest Service plan violated the intent of a law passed in 1977 by Congress because it resulted in a combined increase of snowmobiles, motorcycles and mountain bikes in the wilderness study area. 

But off-road-vehicle groups had challenged the entire plan for overly restricting motorized use on the entire 2.1-million-acre Gallatin National Forest, including the Hyalite-Porcupine-Big Horn Wilderness Study Area. Lynch recommended that their arguments be rejected as well. Opponents have 10 days to respond; Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula will make a final ruling some time after that. 

“This is a good day for wildlife and for people who love this part of the forest. It moves us toward a balance that protects the wildlands and winter habitat of special places like the Gallatin Crest,” said Craig Kenworthy, GYC’s conservation director. “Once this legal dust storm settles down we are willing to work with everyone on a solution we all can agree on.” [Gallatin]

COMMUNITIES & EVENTS

The Perfect ‘Drift’: Think Warren Miller, only on water. That’s how best to describe the fly-fishing movie “Drift”, which made its world premiere to the public on Sept. 20 in Bozeman and will be shown Oct. 9 in Jackson (Get Tickets!).

We’re Goin’ to Jackson Lake: Anyone who has walked up the short flight of stairs into the lobby at the Jackson Lake Lodge is left with an indelible image. There, through the giant picture window, is the breath-taking view of the Tetons rising abruptly from shimmering Jackson Lake and moose browsing in Willow Flats. Next June, this stunning scene will serve as the backdrop for GYC’s 26th Annual Meeting.

Wolves in Winter: It’s time again for our wildly popular winter wolf-watching trips in Yellowstone National Park. Join us for one of our two unforgettable three-day adventures: Jan. 22-25 at the B-Bar Ranch in Tom Miner Basin or Feb. 17-20 at the historic Lamar Valley Buffalo Ranch in the park.

Greater Yellowstone Advocate: We rethought, redesigned and revamped our printed newsletter, and also renamed it: the Advocate. Take a look at our autumn issue before it even hits your mailbox.

Facebook Causes: The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has hit the pages of Facebook! As a featured Cause on the enormously popular networking site, GYC hopes to build supporters all across the country and from all age groups. We want people to know all the great things we are doing, and having a Cause is the perfect way to get the word out! If you're a Facebook member, search for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition under Causes, support us, and invite your friends to join our Cause. Not yet a Facebook member? Sign up at Facebook.com.